Police on Sunday announced recovery of a huge amount of cash and ornaments stolen from the house of ex-MP Sadhu Yadav, the leaving RJD chief Lalu Prasad's estranged brother-in-law with a lot of explanation to do.

Police on Sunday announced recovery of a huge amount of cash and ornaments stolen from the house of ex-MP Sadhu Yadav, the leaving RJD chief Lalu Prasad's estranged brother-in-law with a lot of explanation to do.

The breakthrough came within days of another similar case when police had recovered Rs 1.14 crore stolen from the residence of BJP's Nawada MP Giriraj Singh, leaving the outspoken leader fumbling to explain the large sum of money in cash.

Patna SSP Manu Maharaj said the police recovered from thieves Rs 39 lakh in cash and a huge quantity of ornaments stolen from Sadhu Yadav, whose real name is Anirudh Prasad.

Like Giriraj, Sadhu too appeared to be at a loss for words to explain where the large sum of money and jewellery had come from.

"The items were left at my house for safe keeping by relatives and friends," he told reporters but he did not identify the persons he was referring to.

The theft had taken place at Sadhu's Mitra Mandal Colony (Phulwarisharif) house, on the western fringes of Patna, on June 12.

The recovery included Rs 39 lakh in cash, gold ornaments worth Rs1 crore, Nepalese currencies and documents for purchase of land worth Rs18 lakh besides other valuables from the three criminals who were arrested from different parts of the state capital on Sunday.

The SSP said notorious criminal Kundan Kumar Sah was the mastermind of the robbery and his arrest helped them crack the case.

Maharaj said the accused admitted before the police that they had purchased land worth Rs 18 lakh at two places with the stolen money.